Princess Cruises tops 2026 readers’ mega-ship ranking
Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line also placed in the category’s top five.
Princess Cruises ranked first in the mega-ship category of Condé Nast Traveler’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards. The results were drawn from reader opinions, with eligible candidates evaluated across several criteria and average scores used to establish the winners.
For the awards, mega ships were defined as vessels accommodating at least 4,000 passengers in addition to crew. Princess entered this segment with Sun Princess, launched in 2024, and Star Princess, which followed in 2025. The two vessels were described in the report as Princess’ first Sphere-class ships and its first mega ships.
Sun Princess has capacity for 4,300 passengers and 1,600 crew members, according to the report. Star Princess also appeared on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2026 Hot List.
Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line completed the five highest-ranked cruise brands in the mega-ship category. A separate 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards list from Condé Nast Traveller’s U.K. edition placed Royal Caribbean first.
